It's great to see the objective measurements to back up what my own subjective listening told me about this SVSound PB13-Ultra DSP!
I was EXTREMELY impressed with the performance of the PB13-Ultra DSP when I heard one of the first units. I literally couldn't find a single thing to complain about. My only thought was that the only thing a more expensive sub could offer would be more output. And for the vast majority of people, there's no way they would ever require more output in a typical home - even one with a large home theater.
I'm personally less inclined to believe in the importance of being able to produce frequencies below 16Hz. For one thing, there are exceedingly few recordings that contain any information below 20Hz, let alone anything below 16Hz (which itself only crops up in pipe organ music or synthesized bass). While it's sort of cool to see a sub produce a measured response at 10 or 12Hz, I've never personally seen any real value in such performance because I literally cannot hear it and such frequencies basically don't exist in any normal material! (only in test tones).
So for me, I'm much more concerned with being able to really hit 20Hz with solid, non-compressed output. And since I can hear down to 18Hz (at least according to the testing that I underwent), I enjoy hearing a subwoofer that can extend down to that frequency. But the real meat is in being able to hit 20Hz with essentially the same output as the frequencies above 20Hz with frequency response that remains flat even as the SPL is increased.
My own subjective listening told me that the PB13-Ultra achieved my desires better than any subwoofer I had heard before. And the measurements in this review absolutely appear to back up my experience! 110dB CLEAN at 20Hz in what is essentially an quasi-anechoic environment?! That is amazing performance. But even more amazing is how the frequency response remains flat whether the output is 85dB or 105dB! THAT'S the kind of performance I've been dreaming of ever since my very first HTiB! lol
And it's the kind of performance that even a very, very nice subwoofer like my Axiom EP500 just cannot deliver.
The price, the size and the weight? I hope people understand that if you really want performance at this level, there's no cheating the physics and the cost! IMO, this is about as small and inexpensive as anyone can make a subwoofer that performs this way. It is WAY less expensive than many subs that cannot even match this level of performance. Personally, I don't agree with docking a half a star for the "Value" rating. While it's true that most people likely don't have the budget for a $2000 subwoofer, I'd ask that Audioholics present to me a subwoofer that can match the PB13-Ultra DSP's performance while costing less! Then, and only then, would I agree that the PB13-Ultra DSP deserves anything less than a 5-star "Value" rating. And I say that because I know that achieving similar performance typically costs WAY more. There's cost and there's value. And while the PB13-Ultra DSP ain't cheap, it's value is still through the roof!
Anywho, I already trusted my ears, but it's nice to see the measurements line up exactly with my own perception. The fact that any "normal" person could conceivably afford this sub is what has had me so excited about it. This is not some $35,000 item that no normal person could ever own. This is a $2000 sub - and that includes the shipping to your door! That's simply outstanding. And while I've seen a handful of people bemoaning the fact that SVSound is no longer a "cheap" subwoofer company (no sub less than $679 anymore), I'd argue that they are making and selling the best subwoofer that they have ever offered and they are doing so at prices that don't really reflect just how good these SVSes really are!
